The Slovenia Winter Map 2015/2016

While summer is understandably peak tourist season in Slovenia, the winter is when the country truly comes alive for locals, making it perhaps the best time of the year for visitors to experience it in all its glory. From late November till the early days of January, Christmas markets pop up in seemingly every old town square in the country, with none larger or more festive than the celebrations in the capital Ljubljana. Of course for many people the winter is synonymous with hitting the slopes, and there are very few countries in the world (if any) where skiing is a more popular pastime than in Slovenia.

It’s not unheard of for Slovenians to take their first skiing lessons not long after they take their first steps, and with so many ski resorts located within easy driving distance of the country’s major population centres, you’re quite literally never more than 30-minutes from fresh powder. This is why many of Slovenia’s major winter events are international ski competitions, with Zlata Lisica (the Golden Fox) in Maribor and the Planica FIS World Cup Ski Jumping Final the two most hotly anticipated and highly attended.For those who would rather spend their winter holidays relaxing, Slovenia is also home to over a dozen world class thermal spas and wellness resorts, which boast both modern facilities as well as traditions dating back hundreds of years, thanks to the abundant supply of natural thermal waters flowing beneath the country’s surface. While foremost among the non-ski related winter events are Slovenia’s two most famous carnival celebrations in Ptuj and Cerknica.

This may seem like an overwhelming number of options for what to see and do during your winter holidays on the sunny side of the Alps, but don’t fret, as Slovenia’s prodigious number of tourist attractions and events are matched by its diminutive size, which means an incredible amount can be experienced during even shorter trips.